Indian singing legend credits her great success to a strong work ethic writes P.Ramakrishnan.
As if singer Asha Bhosle wasn't legendary enough - and we don't use the term lightly - she received some extra heavy metal for her overcrowded trophy room this month. Not only was she honoured at the 10th Pune International Film Festival for her "outstanding contribution to Indian cinema", but the Mumbai media house, Screen, also presented her with a lifetime achievement award.
Bhosle, 78, has at least 31 other such similar felicitations, including a Grammy nomination and a BBC lifetime achievement award (presented by then British prime minister Tony Blair in 2002). So when Bhosle herself is asked how many trophies line her cabinets, she sounds genuinely perplexed.
"I have no idea," she says, laughing, and turning to ask her son, Anand: "Do you know how many? Well, the most memorable awards were the national awards given to me by the president of India [in 1981, 1986 and a Padma Vibhushan award, the second highest civilian award, granted by President Pratibha Patil in 2008]. The rest, well, it's nice to be mentioned.
"But I have to confess one thing: everything came late to me in life."
Bhosle's achievements are ever-more remarkable as the younger sibling to India's "nightingale", Lata Mangeshkar. Two legendary singers born to the same household, mellifluous careers mired in mumblings of who's better. "I received everything 20 years after it was due to me - fame, recognition, awards," she says. "And the other half of my life got lost in the pointless conversation about who was better: me or my elder sister."
Like the rivalry between operatic divas Maria Callas and Renata Tebaldi, with loyalties divided by fanatics, composers and producers, the rivalry between the Mangeshkar siblings has filled pages of Indian print since the 1940s. But it's an issue Bhosle refuses to address today, after years of supposed musical riffs and rifts. "I respect and love my sister. We meet for every family function. What others say, who is bothered?"
If it's hard to pinpoint who's greater, it's easier to note who has sung more. A few months ago, Guinness World Records officially acknowledged Bhosle as the most recorded artist in the history of music. She was awarded a certificate for "the most studio recordings [singles] for recording up to 11,000 solo, duet and chorus-backed songs and in over 20 Indian languages since 1947".
And Bhosle is still upping the record, as she's in the studio often and tours annually. Clad in her trademark sparkling saris, her hair pinned in a matriarchal bun, her arms and neck festooned with diamonds and pearls, the grandmother of five will be hitting the stage in Hong Kong on February 23 at the Cultural Centre.
Bhosle has performed with artists ranging from Nelly Furtado to Boy George, and even collaborated with boy band Code Red in the 1990s. While some of the names have faded into irrelevance, Bhosle's spotlight hasn't dimmed. She remains one of India's highest-paid singers and the nation's current crop of singing stars literally bow when she walks into a room. Think of Aretha Franklin in a sari, with a strong adherence to traditional Indian values.
Bhosle has sung cabaret songs, classical music, pop, disco and devotional songs in different languages - her vast repertoire performed with a vocal prowess of three octaves.
Why her singing contemporaries' voices have wilted with time while she remains a force to be reckoned with is no mystery. "Perhaps it's because I work just as hard now as when I started," she says. "I haven't forgotten the days of struggle. I know it takes 100 paisa to make a rupee. For years, I travelled great distances on foot and train from home to the studio. For the longest time, I made about 100 rupees [HK$15.30 today] a month. I remember the day I got 2,000 rupees for a recording. It was like I'd won the lottery.
"Today's singers get on a reality show and make hundreds of thousands a year. I have no issue with that, but what kind of fame is it? They still sing our old songs ... They have to make it on their own merit, not as pale imitations. Temporary fame is fleeting."
When asked who she likes among the current crop of singers, Bhosle politely evades the question. "I have no time to listen to [new] songs," she says. "I'm so busy recording or doing TV shows [judging musical reality shows in Mumbai] or on tour. But when travelling, I listen to the old songs. And keeping aside all the politics, I often listen to Pakistani poets and singers, such as Ghulam Ali and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan."
Bhosle strikes an elegiac note when she reminisces about her recordings with other singers from the 1950s and '60s - Kishore Kumar ("Who was the funniest person I've ever met and one of the most gifted"), Mohammed Rafi ("the greatest vocal range and a kind man") and Mukesh ("the perfect gentleman. They say you can't be a good singer if you're not a good person - well, he was a great singer and a greater person").
The current work ethic has changed, as well. "We had a full orchestra and had to perfect a song in one take," Bhosle says. "There were days of rehearsals. If there was a minor error or wrong note, we had to start all over again. And, for the most part, we all got along, as there had to be camaraderie among the musicians. We worked long, long hours. Today, well, you'll be surprised to know that often my so-called duets were recorded in one country, my co-singer in another, and it's all mixed together. And auto-tune, it's the funniest thing I've seen. We're now in an era where you don't have to be a remotely competent singer to sing."
This will be her third concert in Hong Kong, and her memories of the city reflect those of many other tourists.
"I went to Hong Kong in 1986 and in 1989 for shows at Queen Elizabeth Stadium. I remember shopping in Hong Kong after my shows, getting chiffon saris, things for my three children. I don't remember much else. At this age, my interest in shopping has gone, but music hasn't left me, and I haven't left music."
Eternal Asha, Feb 23, 8pm, Concert Hall, Cultural Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui, HK$300-HK$1,200, Urbtix. Inquiries: 6019 0621
P. Ramakrishnan
ramakrishnanp@hotmail.com
Jan 29, 2012
Pic Caption: An Indian national treasure, Asha Bhosle has been entertaining with her records and live shows for decades.
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